Class Reunions

ACM: Chicago Program

Subjects: The ACM Chicago Program engages students academically, professionally, and personally with the city of Chicago. The primary areas of emphasis in the program are Arts, Entrepreneurship, and Urban Studies – students have the opportunity to explore one of these topics in depth, or participate in classwork and projects across these disciplines. The program offers an innovative mix of academic work, including an internship, independent study project, common core course about the city of Chicago, and a variety of seminars focused on the arts and creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, and urban studies and social justice. Students are able to explore the vital issues facing cities and the people who live and work in them, while digging deeper to relate these issues to their personal lives, education, and career aspirations.

The program is offered in both the fall and spring semester, and students earn a full semester worth of academic credit.

Housing: Students live with other Chicago Program participants in furnished, shared apartments in various neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago.While locations may vary each semester, apartments are located close to public transportation and a variety of amenities. The neighborhoods where students live are an integral part of the program, as students get involved with local community organizations and examine neighborhood issues as part of their classes.

Cost: Students pay Albion College tuition, plus the ACM program fee (which covers housing, field trips, some instructional materials, and a local transportation pass for the semester).

Costs Not Covered by Albion: Meals, travel to and from Chicago, materials and supplies, cultural events/entertainment, and miscellaneous personal expenses. For more information, go to the ACM Chicago Program cost page

Comments: The ACM Chicago Program is open to students of any major. While the internship component of the program is important, the Chicago Program offers a balanced curriculum of two classes focused on Chicago, an independent study project (ISP), and the internship. The ISP gives students the chance to pursue a topic that relates to their personal and/or academic interests during the semester, and can take many forms, depending on the project. For examples of recent projects, see this resource page. The Chicago Program has a long history dating back to 1969, with over 5,000 alumni of the program.

Alumni Mentoring

Mentoring and Success at Albion College

Who is an Albion Mentor?

Albion Mentors are Albion alumni, friends, and parents who have successfully navigated college and careers. They enjoy the personal satisfaction of contributing to a student’s growth and the challenge of relating to today’s Albion students. Mentors play a variety of roles, from offering basic advice about a job search to sharing critical insights on career readiness. Combined with assistance from the Career and Internship Center, mentoring can create a powerful environment for student success.

Mentor/Student Relationships: Expectations and Guidelines

Overview

The Albion College mentoring program uses the strengths of the Linkedin network, Albion alumni, and supporters. The Albion Mentoring Linkedin group is a subgroup of the Albion College Official Linkedin group. You will need to be granted permission to be a part of the Mentoring group and will be expected to adhere to strong ethical standards to participate.

Mentoring Topics

Topics that may be covered within a mentoring relationship may be as simple as questions about how to communicate a skill in a resume. Students and mentors may form longer term mentoring relationships that cover choice of career, success in college, and success after college.

Getting Matched with a Mentor

The matching process will materialize in one of a few ways: the public arena of the Linkedin group or through a student reaching out to a specific mentor that is a member of the group. Public postings allow the Career and Internship Center, Alumni, and Parent Leadership offices to monitor and facilitate matches.

Steps for Connecting with a Mentor

Make sure your Linkedin profile is up to date and professional.

Join the Albion College Official Group on Linkedin.

Request to join the Albion College Mentoring Group within the Albion College Official Group (located by clicking on the More tab and then Subgroups).

Post questions or topics where you would like assistance to the group. This could be a request to be contacted by a mentor or a question for the group. Your posts may look something like the following examples:

“I am a junior majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Art. I would like to connect with someone with a similar background to help me explore career options.”

“I am a sophomore majoring in Philosophy and I have not yet chosen a minor. I would like to ask the group their thoughts on this topic.”

“I am looking for a mentoring relationship as I prepare for my junior year with aspirations of going to law school.”

“I live in the Detroit area, and I would like to work in marketing after I graduate. Is there someone in the group that I could meet with while I am home during Thanksgiving Break?”

Make sure that you always follow-up with mentor communications.

When appropriate, foster a longer-term relationship by providing updates once per semester to mentors.

Mentors are not official representatives of Albion College. Make sure to exercise care and be an educated consumer of information.

Terminating the Mentor/Mentee Relationship

There is no formal process to terminate the mentoring relationship. At any time, either the mentor or the student can indicate that contact is no longer necessary. Both the mentor and the student is expected to respect the wishes of the party requesting termination.

Chicago Center: Chicago, Ill.

Subjects: Founded in 1970, Chicago Center extends the classroom walls for students from all majors by providing professional internships and experience-based seminars. Internships are available in all fields and are tailored to each student’s professional goals and academic requirements. Chicago Center seminars are unique learning experiences that take place in the heart of Chicago’s neighborhoods, highlighting the diversity of America’s third largest city. Students earn a full term worth of credit for the internship and seminar experience.

Chicago Center provides housing to all students and introduces them to city living during a two-week orientation. Student housing is located in Hyde Park, a beautiful lakefront community that is home to Chicago Center’s office and staff. Hyde Park is also home to the University of Chicago.

Housing: Chicago Center provides apartment style housing and a food budget to all students. All apartments are located in Hyde Park and are shared with other students in the program. Apartments are fully furnished and include Wi-Fi, laundry, and cable. Students are just blocks from the neighborhood shopping district and beautiful Lake Michigan.

Cost: Albion College tuition, room and board charges cover the Chicago Center program tuition, room, board, and program fees. The Chicago Center program fees include room, board, cultural events, texts, all in-city transportation and class fees. For summer and post-term students, the Albion College summer school tuition covers the tuition charges. The City Activity Expense fee is billed directly to the student, who then pays Chicago Center.

Costs Not Covered by Albion: $100 security deposit, City Activity Expense $300. For the summer: Program fee of $2,940 and City Activity Expense of $200. For the post-term: Program Fee of $1440 and City Activity Expense of $100.

Comments:Students intern full-time three days a week during the semester and four days a week during the summer. All students interview at multiple internship sites before making their decision and have access to Chicago Center’s extensive internship database. Class sizes are small (7-12) and allow for robust group discussions and personal feedback from instructors. The program is oriented toward understanding the diversity of experience in an urban setting, and allows students to engage with the city professionally and academically.

Resources for information on Majors

Not all majors identified in these sites are available at Albion College. These are links to web sites that are not under the control of Albion College or the Career and Internship Center. We are not responsible for the contents of any linked site. The Career and Internship Center provides these links merely as a courtesy. The data contained in this web site is for informational purposes only and is not represented to be error free.

Remember

Compare the information you are learning about majors and professions with what you know about yourself and the self assessment information. Do you have the qualities and interests that match the characteristics of certain majors?

Choosing a major does not dictate what you will do for the rest of your life! Increasingly people see their major as a starting point upon which they can grow as their interests and skills develop.

If you are interested in several areas of study, consider a double major, minor, or concentration. You can take classes, join a club, or even volunteer in areas you enjoy as well to feed your passions.